{
  "slug": "apple-itunes-receipt",
  "canonical_name": "Fake iTunes Store receipt",
  "family": "account-suspension",
  "impersonates": {
    "brand": "Apple",
    "disclaimer": "Apple is not involved; criminals impersonate the brand.",
    "official_fraud_page": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568"
  },
  "goal": [
    "credentials",
    "personal-data"
  ],
  "channels": [
    "email"
  ],
  "summary": "A receipt for an iTunes purchase you never made, around $200, with the line \"if this wasn't you, your account has been compromised\" and a link to cancel. The cancel page is the phishing form.",
  "status": "dormant",
  "first_seen": "2016-11",
  "last_seen": "2016-11",
  "recognise": [
    "A purchase you never made, priced to make you act",
    "The escape hatch is a link, not your Apple ID settings",
    "Apple receipts show the last digits of your payment method; these do not"
  ],
  "variants": [],
  "specimen": {
    "date": "2016-11",
    "channel": "email",
    "from": null,
    "reply_to": null,
    "subject": null,
    "attachment": null,
    "body_text": null,
    "redactions": [],
    "image": "/wp-content/uploads/fake-itunes-store-receipt-email.png",
    "sources": [
      "https://soft2secure.com/knowledgebase/itunes-email-scam"
    ]
  },
  "tells": [],
  "indicators": {
    "sender_domains": [],
    "senders": [],
    "reply_to": [],
    "phone_numbers": [],
    "urls": [],
    "wallets": [],
    "attachments": [],
    "note": "Indicators change weekly; an empty list never means an email is safe."
  },
  "what_to_do": {
    "if_received": [
      "Do not use the link; check purchases in Settings → Apple ID → Media & Purchases",
      "Forward the email to reportphishing@apple.com",
      "Delete it"
    ],
    "if_called_or_paid": [
      "Entered a password? Change it now, and everywhere else you used the same one",
      "Entered card details? Call your bank, ask them to block the card and reissue",
      "Entered a one-time code? Sign in to the real service now and check for changes to email, phone and payment settings"
    ],
    "report_links": [
      {
        "label": "Apple: recognise and avoid social-engineering schemes",
        "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568"
      },
      {
        "label": "Report to the FTC",
        "url": "https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/"
      }
    ]
  },
  "malware_family": null,
  "timeline": [
    {
      "date": "2016-11-11",
      "type": "specimen",
      "title": "Specimen №1: the ~$200 receipt with a cancel link",
      "text": "The guide documented the receipt layout and the \"if this wasn't you\" hook.",
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "sources": [
        "https://soft2secure.com/knowledgebase/itunes-email-scam"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-02",
      "type": "registry",
      "title": "Family created",
      "text": "Grew out of the 2016 guide.",
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "netflix-payment-failed",
    "qatar-airways-booking"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "https://soft2secure.com/knowledgebase/itunes-email-scam",
    "https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568"
  ],
  "legacy_urls": [
    "/knowledgebase/itunes-email-scam"
  ],
  "legacy_redirect": false,
  "created": "2026-09-02",
  "updated": "2026-09-02",
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-09-02",
      "text": "Record created at the registry launch."
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://soft2secure.com/scams/apple-itunes-receipt",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0",
  "generated": "2026-09-03"
}